The Church of Saint Domenico in Cagliari: Conceptual Analysis and Structural Checks

The church of St. Domenico in Cagliari is a reinforced-concrete structure built on an ancient medieval temple heavily damaged during the 2nd World War. The coexistence of two structures, obviously with many technical differences, strongly influenced the design of the new church. Characteristic features are the curved beams that intersect each other and create a sort of coffered ceiling, while the large windows at the base of the dome, between two successive beams, give the impression that the dome itself is suspended in the air. In the first phase of this project, the original technical documentation was found out and a critical analysis was performed on the structural scheme adopted by the designer, who could not rely on modern computer-assisted methods of calculation and had to limit himself to a rather simplified analysis. In the second part, the authors compare the original results with those obtained by modelling the whole structure via finite elements. The aim is to assess the reliability level of the original calculations, and to carry out the structural checks (not reported in this paper), according to the Italian Design Code. The original design turned out to be safe, in spite of its crude assumptions. Only in few cases there are significant differences between the original results and those obtained via FE analysis; safety, however, is never impaired.